'Turkey taking the lead in handling Syrian crisis'

As it leads the world in tackling the Syrian crisis, Turkey last year also received international protection applications from over 114,500 people, a top Turkish Interior Ministry official said on Thursday.

"Turkey has taken the lead in handling the Syrian crisis, the largest migration of the 21st century," said Harun Başıbüyük, the head for international protection at the ministry's Migration Management Department.

In 2018 Turkey took international protection applications from 114,537 people from various countries, he added.

He stressed that Turkey has given Syrians in Turkey the chance for a humane life.

"Our country has taken the Syrians under protection through its open-door and absolute acceptance policies," he added.

Turkey currently hosts some 3.6 million Syrians, more than any other country in the world.

Turkey has been a main route for irregular migrants trying to cross to Europe, especially since 2011, the start of the Syrian civil war.

Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in early 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity.

According to UN figures, hundreds of thousands of civilians have been killed or displaced in the conflict, mainly by regime airstrikes in opposition-held areas.